Robert E. Lee to Mary Anna Randolph Custis Lee

I have recd dearest Mary your letter of 22nd May, finished 4th June, & am delighted to find that my not hearing from you by the last two expresses from San Antonio, was not caused by your own indisposition, or that of any of the family, but was only the result of a little innocent credulity on your part. You know I have often told you, you were too credulous, & that our belief must be regulated by our reason, or we should be led often astray. I see no prospect of my being ordered East, & have no expectation of returning this year & though with a full appreciation of the pleasantness of the arrangement, must bide where I am some time longer. I am very glad to hear that you were preparing for your departure to Bath, & congratulate myself as well as you, at the company you were to have with you. You could not have a kinder or better companion than my dear brother Childe, & it is fortunate for you that I am out of the way, & that you will not only have him, but Edwd & Marie besides. See how kind our heavenly father is to us. Always arranging for us better than we could for ourselves, & preparing blessings that we could not anticipate. May he always preserve in us such a clear sense of our obligation, that upon the receipt of every favor we may immediately turn our eyes to him from whom all cometh, & praise him & adore him as we ought. I hope dear Annie will be entirely cured by her visit. She will be a great comfort to you I know, & I feel assured you will have all the attention you require. My mind is much easier now & I have no reason to be distrustful of the result. Your information of Rooneys appointment to the Army, was entirely unexpected. I had been preparing the way for it, should he desire it, upon graduating next year. If he does desire to enter the Army, however, perhaps it is as well now as then, though I had not intended to have applied myself, before he graduated, provided he had then made up his mind to enter the service. If he enters now he will gain one years rank, which may be a fair offset to the additional information he might gain by continuing at college. The one is certain, the other problematical. As regards his service on the frontier, I see little difference between his being in the Infy & the Cavy. The latter would keep him more in the field than the former, but in other respects, though it might be more to his taste, I think it equally hazardous to his morals & manners; & if an Infy Post at his age would be deleterious to him, a Cavy Post would be equally so. He might possibly get transferred to a mounted Regt: when a vacancy occurred, & though I would prefer his being in the 2 Cavy, merely from selfish motives & from a hope of having him with me, if he went into any other, I would as leave see him in the Infy. The promotion is more rapid in the Infy than in any other arm. It contains some fine officers, & must always be in requisition in time of war. A young man is often caught by the idea of being mounted on a horse. It has its disadvantages like all other sublunary things, which in time they find out. If therefore he intends entering the Army, I think he had as well do so now, as later. The Infy offers as good service as any other arm. If he does not enter now, I think he had better abandon the idea altogether, & apply his mind sedulously to what he does intend to follow. My advice however will come too late. He must have made his decision before this reaches you. I trust it will be for the best, & that he will be satisfied with it. If he accepts, you must furnish him money for his outfit, & the means of reaching his Post, as far as you can; until I can come to his relief. If he does not accept, & wishes to continue at college, I will remit his first Qrs allowance as usual. The bonds recd by Mr Smith are the three Virginia bonds I wrote you about, & which I directed to Mr Vail to send to him for you. I hope they reached you safely. Upon reflection I send you my check No 128, dated 6 July, on the Bank of Commerce in New York for $200.00 to your order, which if Rooney accepts the appointment in the Army, will aid in his outfit. If he does not, you can endorse over to him, should he return the Cambridge in September, or otherwise disburse for the general benefit. Father Shane, a Catholic Priest, & Chaplain at Fort Belknap, came up here day before yesterday, on a visit. He performed the Catholic service this mng for the benefit of the Catholics of the Command. I attended. The service was incomprehensible to me, but I hope it availed much those who did understand it. He afterwards preached from the text "What willit profit a man, if he gain the whole world & lost his own soul" in a very feeling & practical manner, which all could understand & profit by, & I hope his words sunk into the hearts of some. The room was small, the kitchen of one of the Cavy Compies though the best we had, & the audience not large. He returns to Belknap tomorrow. Capt John M. Jones came with him. You may recollect him as one of the Asst Instructors of tactics at West Point the first Winter you were there. If Rooney had him for his Captain & he was willing to learn, he would soon teach him all it was necessary for him to know. You must give much love to your father, all the children & all friends.

Truly & sincerely yours

R E Lee